Review: Mystery L Cafe, Toorak

Internally they’ve managed to maintain some of the classic features of the building whilst making the most of the big windows to create a bright, airy space. While it is small, it’s cosy instead of cramped with a real laid back vibe, and on a sunny day you can always sit outside in their courtyard too. 

On the  menu are a range of lighter eats such sandwiches and all those brunch classics you’d expect. They also stock some beautiful desserts from Linger patisserie too (more on these later). We decided to try the pancakes, porridge and a bacon and egg sandwich. Everything arrived looking delicious with a nice freshness to all of the ingredients. The dishes aren’t fussy or extraneous, they simply present the ingredients in the best way, giving beautifully plated, classic brunches. 

The sandwich came first – fully loaded with plenty of bacon and egg. We really enjoyed the simplicity of this dish. We love trying all the amazing, creative dishes around the city but sometimes you’re just craving something simple and it’s really hard to find a place that does it well, with good quality ingredients. Well Mystery L is definitely that place! It was a great, tasty lighter option really highlighting that classic is sometimes the best way to go. They have a range of other sandwiches on the menu too, along with limited edition jaffles on the specials board. 

The porridge was creamy, with a nice sweetness to it. It was a filling dish, and I enjoyed the range of fresh fruit added on top. There was a lot of variety there but not too much of it, and there was a nice range of textures between the fruit and the nuts and seeds. It was a really warming dish that didn’t stick too closely to the typical winter flavours. It’s definitely a dish you could enjoy all year round. 

Finally we tried the pancakes. They were a large stack, beautifully plated and topped with some perfectly caramelised banana. Again, there was lots of variety in the flavours here, yet the dish itself manages to remain quite simple. This is what Mystery L do really well.  The soft and fluffy pancakes were really enjoyable, with a little extra sweet hit from the strawberry glaze. We preferred the coyo to ice cream on top as this helped to balance the dish out (not too much sweetness in there) and keep it a little lighter, as it was definitely a generous serve. 

Along with the faultless service and great coffee, we really felt that Mystery L was one to watch, and if all that isn’t enough to persuade you, their amazing desserts supplied by Linger will give you that extra push to head through the door. We tried the never parting pear, and honestly it was exquisite. Looking exactly like a pear, you crack the chocolate coating to reveal a creamy pear mousse. I suspected it would be a little sickly but I looked down at my plate the next minute and it was all gone! Not only did it look unbelievable, that light airy mousse was so beautifully crafted! My only regret is that I didn’t try more than one.